Draft regulator



195-2 w. F. STElNEN 3,070,312

DRAFT REGULATOR FiledJuly 27, 1959 INVENTOR. WILLIAM F. STEM/EN A'r-roRqEY rates Unite The present invention relates to a draft regulator and it particularly relates to a draft regulator useful in homes and for low capacity oil and gas furnaces and hot water boilers.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a sirnpie, inexpensive, reliably operating draft regulator which may be readily installed in the outlet connections of various types of small furnaces whether gas fired or oil fired and whether hot air or hot water, and which will reliably regulate the draft and which will function over longperiods of time when properly set, without the need of readjustment, recalibration or reinstallation.

Another object is to provide a light weight, inexpensive, reliable draft regulator which may be readily installed in the flue outlets of various furnaces and which when installed will thereafter reliably regulate the draft over long periods of time without readjustment.

Still further objects and advantages will appear in the more detailed description set forth below, it being understood, however, that this more detailed description is given by way of illustration and explanation only and not by way of limitation, since various changes therein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory according to one embodiment of the present invention to provide a draft regulator construction in which there is an external circular frame which may be associated with or directly mounted in the flue of a gas or oil fired furnace whether for producing hot air, hot water or steam.

The frame is desirably cut away so as to provide a narrow upper opening and a relatively wide lower opening with the narrow opening carrying the pivot mounting for a swinging vane.

Desirably the swinging vane is pivotally mounted well above both its center of gravity and its geometrical center and is provided at its upper portion with a throughrod or bolt having adjustable weighting means at the ends thereof which may be fixed in a predetermined position to give a desired adjustment.

The hinge structure is desirably achieved by affixing short pins or studs in the upper portion of the frame which then extend into an elongated recess or groove in the upper portion of the swinging vane or door and are similarly carried by vertical pivot plates which are mounted upon and extend upwardly from stop plates which have projecting members to limit the opening and closing motion of the draft regulator.

In the preferred form of the invention, two pivot plates are riveted or otherwise fixedly mounted to the swinging vane at a position below its pivot mount with outstanding lugs serving to limit the closing movement of the vane by contact or abutment upon the frame.

At the same time an outstanding flange member is provided with a flange transverseto the frame which extends between the opening between the frame and the vane to engage and form the pivot mounts upon the pivot stud. This flange also has parallel portions arranged parallelly to the plane of the vane which will act as opening stops to limit the opening movement of the vane.

The adjustment rod desirably extends through the vane through a pair of nuts which may clamp it in position after it has been adjusted and it may be provided with atent an auxiliary nut to give a micrometer balance adjust-. ment for fine regulation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention'consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and illustrated in the accompanying draw-. ings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but is to to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a rear plan view taken upon the line 1-4 of FIG. 2, showing the inside face of the draft regulat r, with the pivot pins and stop hinge members mounted upon the vane.

FIG. 2. is a vertical transverse sectional view taken upon the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken upon the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view similar to PEG.

to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 which show the vane in closed position, PEG. 4 being taken upon the line 4-4 of FIG. l.v

FIG. 5 is an inside fragmentary perspective view showing the hinge plate construction associated with the pivot pins and with the swinging vane.

Referring to H68. 1 to 5, there is shown a frame A having a swinging vane B. The swinging vane B is mounted upon the fixed pivot stud C and it has the adjustable through member D to adjust the balance thereof.

Below the pivot mounts or studs C there are positioned the pivot and stop plate brackets E which have an open stop F and a closed stop G.

The frame A itself has an outside flange it which may be mounted upon a thimble, flue or other connection to the outlet of the hot gases from the furnace, boiler, water heater or other heating appliance.

This outside flange it) has inwardly directed intermediate member 11 formed integrally therewith and it has an inside frame 12 whichhas a narrow upper portion 13, a narrow lower portion M and a relatively wide intermediate portion 15 positioned directly alongside and supported by the pivot stud C but above the center of gravity and the geometrical center of the vane B. These enlarged triangular portions 15 have the vertical side edges 16 and the inclined lower edges 17.

It will be noted that there is a narrow concentric spacing provided between the vane and the frame at 18 in the upper part of the regulator and at 19' in the lower part of the regulator while along the vertical edges 16 there is a relatively wide space 20 provided for pivot mount purposes to accommodate the flange of the brackets E.

The vane, itself, has a relatively wide semicircular bottom portion 30 and a relatively narrow top portion 31 which fits between the enlargements 15.

The side edges 32 of the vane are inclined to matchthe oblique edges 17 .and the side edges 33 are vertical to match the side edges 16.

Above the center of gravity and to receive the pivot. studs 13 there is provided a through groove 34 which extends the full Width of the regulator and has about twice the diameter of the stud pins C which extend thereinto up to the positions 35 about one-tenth to one-fifth the total length of the recess 34.

The pins C are held in position by the loops 36 integrally stamped out of the sheet metal of the enlarged portions 15 of the frame A.

The fixed ends of the pins desirably are shorter and only about two-thirds the length of the projecting ends 35 and they are positioned in grooves 37 which are formed in the enlargements 15 and which constitute extensions of the groove or recess 34.

The hinge and stop brackets to which this invention is particularly directed consist of laterally elongated plates which are riveted to the vane B at spaced aligned positions as indicated at 38.

These plates are positioned for the most part inside of the side edges 33 but they do have lower lateral projections 39 which limit the closing movement of the vane B by contacting the corner 40 where the lower narrow frame portion 14 meets the enlargement 15.

Normally, the lower edges of the extension 39 should extend across the corners of both the vane B and the frame A in the manner best shown in FIG. 1 and also in FIG. 5.

At the same time the plates or brackets E have an integral vertical flange member 41 which extends rearwardly from the open space 20 between the edges 16 and 33 and has a forwardly extending projection 42.

The extension 42 fits within the space 20 and it has an opening therein through which extends the pivot pins C and by which the vane B is pivotally mounted (see particularly FIG. 5).

There is also another flange F at right angles to the projection 42 which acts as a top stop by hitting with its upper edge the frame enlargement 15 when the vane swings open in the manner shown in FIG. 4.

It will thus be noted that there is a balanced stop arrangement with the top stop and pivot connection being at the upper end of the flange 41 and constituting an upper integral extension of the bracket plate B.

At the same time the lower lateral extension 39 is from the lower portion of the bracket plate E and these stops give a balance to the swinging vane B.

In respect to the adjustment B there is shown an inside non-knurled nut or cylindrical weight 69 and an outside knurled cylindrical weight 61 which are threaded on the ends of the threaded rod 62.

The threaded rod 62 is threaded through a nut 63 on the front of the vane but may be fixed or movable with respect to the vane and there is also provided an inside nut 64 which may lock the rod 62 in a predetermined adjusted position.

Normally the inside weight 60 is fixed to the threaded member 62 so that any turning movement would be by way of knurled weight 61 in respect to the threaded rod 62. Once the adjustment is made by tightening the inside nut 64 such adjustment is fixed. Normally, the nut 64 being on the inside of the swinging vane B will not be accessible for inadvertent adjustment by the user.

The combination of the high pivot mounting by the stud C with the adjustable weight D and the open stop F on the closed stop G will give an inexpensive, durable construction and at the same time give a balanced adjustment to the swinging vane.

While there has been herein described a preferred form of the invention, it should be understood that the same may be altered in details and in relative arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. A draft regulator construction having an outside circular frame with enlarged inward projecting triangular flange portions adjacent the top thereof, a swinging vane positioned therein having a narrow top portion and a wide lower portion, said vane having a geometrical center at the center of the frame and a gravity center below the center of the frame, said frame having a circular mounting flange offset from and positioned in a plane in front of the plane of the vane when said vane is in closed position, pivot studs fixed on the enlarged flange portions in the same plane with the plane of the vane and pivotally mounting said vane above the geometrical and gravity center thereof, a double weight threaded rod adjustment in the upper portion of the vane above the pivot studs and integral open and closed stop elements and hinge brackets mounted on the vane below the studs, said brackets having forwardly projecting flange members transverse to the vane extending between the vane and the frame and engaging said pivot studs, said flange members being mounted upon rearwardly projecting flange members extending from the side edges of said hinge brackets, said triangular flange portions extending above and below the pivot studs and having straight vertical edges alongside of said pivot studs and oblique lower edges below said pivot studs and said brackets including rectangular plates mounted on the rear of said vane and said step elements consisting of elongated flat rectangular projections both extending parallelly and rearwardly of said triangular flange portions with the open stop elements being shorter than the closed stop elements with the open stop elements contacting the vertical edges and the open stop elements contacting the lower ends of the oblique edges said elongated rectangular projections consisting of upper and lower projections with the upper projection being in a plane substantially to the rear of the plane of the vane and with the lower projection being substantially in the plane of the vane and with the upper projection extending a shorter distance outwardly toward the frame than the lower projection.

2. A draft regulator construction having an outside circular frame with enlarged inward projecting triangular flange portions adjacent the top thereof, a swinging vane positioned therein having a narrow top portion and a wide lower portion, said vane having a geometrical center at the center of the frame and a gravity center below the center of the frame, said frame having a circular mounting flange olfset from and positioned in a plane in front of the plane of the vane when said vane is in closed position, pivot studs fixed in the enlarged flange portions in the same plane with the plane of the vane and pivotally mounting said vane above the geometrical and gravity center thereof, a double weight threaded rod adjustment in the upper portion of the vane above the pivot studs and integral open and closed stop elements and hinge brackets mounted on the vane below the studs, said studs extending into and through aligned elongated laterally extending recesses in the vane and in said enlarged flange portions, said triangular flange portions extending above and below the pivot studs and having straight vertical edges alongside of said pivot studs and oblique lower edges below said pivot studs and said brackets including rectangular plates mounted on the rear of said vane and said stop elements consisting of elongated fiat rectangular projections both extending parallelly and rearwardly of said triangular flange portions with the open stop elements being shorter than the closed stop elements with the open stop elements contacting the vertical edges and the open stop elements contacting the lower ends of the oblique edges said elongated rectangular projections consisting of upper and lower projections with the upper projection being in a plane substantially to the rear of the plane of the vane and with the lower projection being substantially in the plane of the vane and with the upper projection extending a shorter distance outwardly toward the frame than the lower projection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,819,845 Ziph Jan. 14, 1958 2,825,506 Steinen Mar. 4, 1958 2,840,317 Kozah June 24, 1958 

